A Shifting Wind
by anime-liss
Summary: R&R. ***FINAL CHAPTER!*** For all you who have anxiously waited the final chapter, here it is! I will only let you guess what happens here. ;-) Have fun reading! (Rated R for sexual content, profanity and violence)
1. Chapter 1 Ioki's Gift

A Shifting Wind  
By Melissa Hebin  
  
((Let's cut to the chase: I did not like Mayuka the Troublesome, so I decided to make this. I hope you like! PLEASE R&R OR I WILL HAVE YOUR HEAD!!!!!! lol))  
  
Something changed.  
  
Tenchi could not tell as he sat up in his bed, weary and cold. He rubbed his eyes to clear up the foggy vision. He could not tell what woke him up. He looked around the room.  
  
It was dark, but a gloomy light came in through his window and cast a light-grey color over everything in his room, except for the corners and near his door. There was no change in position of anything; he cleaned up yesterday, and it was just as clean as it had been.  
  
But something woke him up.  
  
There was a chill to the air. Not the kind of chill in cold weather, but a chill of fear.  
  
A shadow shifted.  
  
He saw it, caught a glimpse of it as it grazed his wall and floor, nearest to the door. Where the shadows were.  
  
He became afraid, like a little six year old boy in the middle of the night. He felt like a young child again, and needed warmth and comfort.  
  
Then, he saw it.  
  
He didn't actually see it very well, but felt it, could smell it, hear it, touch it. Sense its presence in his room, as it lurked over him. He could tell it was there, looming only inches from his face......  
Awake.  
  
This time he had actually awaken from the already being awake, and saw that it was morning. The sun shone in his window, casting a golden hue over his whole room. He rubbed his eyes, rubbed them like he just did, in what seemed only a few moments ago. He could see clearly now, looked around his room.  
  
Then he noticed.  
  
A disturbance in the cleanliness of his room.  
  
A few books and papers had fallen from his shelf. He soon brushed this away, figuring that he had just rolled over in the night and knocked it over. He hoisted himself up, off his bed, and started to pull his night shirt off, when he saw.  
  
A small, perfectly round sapphire fell from his nightshirt pocket. He let his shirt back down and bent down slowly to see it more. His finger came down, and made a small, suttle type of contact with the sapphire.  
  
A wave of memories flew over him, flowed in and out of him, rolled through him and around him as he felt like he was being sucked into the sapphire. A light-blue, frothy sort of cloud engulfed him, swallowed him whole.  
  
Long-lost memories past had driven themselves back into his mind, bursted out of their storage pits and now he remembered, could see her.  
  
The girl. She looked incredibly familiar, no expression on her face. Behind her was nothing but white. Nothing but emptyness, and he felt empty. The girl smiled, and he felt full again, but still a hole in him. And he knew now, knew who she was, where she came from. The girl.  
  
He had another mesmerizing vision, the girl showed him to it. He came into a room, and stood back, being held back. He watched.  
  
A younger Tenchi, a Tenchi that looked about sixteen, walked upstairs into his room. He saw the girl there, the girl laying on his bed. The girl watching television, on the small TV in his room. She was watching a romance film about a young, mysterious woman and a man, and they fell in love. The young Tenchi, the young himself, walked over to the girl and laid down beside her, and watched the film. The young woman in the movie was rich, and she wore a blue sapphire necklace. Tenchi and the girl watched, and the girl loked at Tenchi. Tenchi looked at the girl. He touched her delicate hand and held it.  
  
Awake once more.  
  
Tenchi opened his eyes and realized things he did not realize before. All his thoughts raced, everything he just witnessed scrambled into its own compartment in his brain. Then, as he shook his head to clear it, so he could think, he remembered her name.  
  
"Ioki!"  
  
He said it, but did not mean to say it. His body had a natural reaction, and caused him to say it. He uttered it once more.  
  
"Ioki."  
  
Tears welled up in Tenchi's eyes. He knew now. The girl, the girl he loved. Ioki.  
  
What happened, he asked himself. He questioned mentally. What happened to Ioki?  
The rest of the day passed in a blur. He could not pay attention at school. He was too busy thinking about Ioki. He wondered what happened last night, and what happened to her. He felt a depression, a feeling he had never felt. He felt a connection with her, somehow. A forgotten connection.  
  
He could see it now. A day that Ioki had given him a gift. He slipped into another daydream.  
Ioki ran down a field, her long, straight, dark-brown hair flowing behind her, her vibrant blue eyes shining in the sun, her white dress blowwing in the wind.  
  
"Tenchi!"  
  
He watched her run, watched her happiness, watched his own happiness. She stopped in front of him.  
  
"I have a gift for you, Tenchi."  
  
"Thanks, let me see it!"  
  
She passed to him a small, wrapped package.  
Awake.  
  
Tenchi looked at his desk. The bell rang, and he slowly packed up his things to walk home.  
  
He walked out the door, and Ryoko waited for him.  
  
"Hi Tenchi!"  
  
Tenchi gave a weak glance at Ryoko, still glum and confused. "Hi Ryoko," He muttered weakly.  
  
"Why the long face?"  
  
"..."  
  
"Tenchi?"  
  
"..."  
  
He could not notice her all the way, his mind on the interrupted daydream. He tried to remember the rest of it.  
  
"Tenchi?"  
  
"...............................What?"  
  
"Why the long face, Tenchi? You don't look very happy."  
  
"...Please, Ryoko..."  
  
"What?"  
  
"Just...."  
  
"Yes?"  
  
Tenchi looked down and lessened his pace. "......Just leave me alone."  
  
"But why, Tenchi?"  
  
"Just leave me alone!"  
  
He walked faster, and ran. Tried to run from his confusing depression, but it would not go away.  
  
Ryoko, on the other hand, became just as confused as Tenchi. And with curiousity comes suspicion.  
  
"What is that Tenchi up to...?"  
Tenchi lessened his pace again when he got home, the whole run thinking of Ioki.  
  
He dragged himself up the steps and into the door of his home, his warm, comfy home. He did not know what his homework was, did not know what to study, but he didn't care. He had more important matters to care for.  
  
He slowly stepped up to his room and dropped his books there, carelessly. He looked around the room, and saw the sapphire by his bed, exactly where he had dropped it that very morning.  
  
He sat down on his bed and picked up the sapphire, examined it, fondled with it. It seemed so strange now, but not magical. Just very strange. But it gave him a feeling of comfort. The kind of comfort Ioki would give him.  
  
Then, he saw.  
At that moment, he saw Ioki again, running down the field with the package.  
  
"Tenchi!"  
  
She was running just like the daydream he had earlier in school.  
  
"I have a gift for you, Tenchi."  
  
"Thanks, let me see it!"  
  
She passed to him the small, wrapped package.  
  
He opened it now, continued where the dream had left off. inside was a beautiful amulet, gold encircling a stone in the center. Encircling a small, round sapphire.  
  
He brought his lips close to hers, and they touched, softly at first. Then they started to really kiss. No small mouth-to-mouth, but a long, embracing, love kiss.  
Awake.  
  
Tenchi sat up, and stared at the sapphire in his hands.  
  
The sapphire in the amulet.  
  
The sapphire Ioki had given him.  
  
He began to cry again, a silent, devastated, miserable, mournful weeping. His tears ran down his cheeks and dripped off his face, onto the sapphire and slipped off. He saw it as more than a sapphire now. It was a gift to him. A gift from the girl. A gift from Ioki.  
  
"This is her present to me," Tenchi said to himself, "Ioki's gift." 


	2. Chapter 2 Ayeka's Surprise

A Shifting Wind- Chapter 2  
  
((R&R OR I WILL STICK A SKEWER THROUGH YOUR HEAD, RIP IT OFF, AND THROW IT TO THE ALLIGATORS IN THE EVERGLADES!!! lol. I suggest that you read chapter 1 before you read chapter 2, for you ppl who like to skip chapters ::grumble grumble::. Believe me, it would make a LOT more sense.))  
  
It rained that day.  
  
Tenchi woke up in a grey dawn, in an oddly snappy kind of way. He looked at his right hand, and noticed the sapphire clutched in his fingers. He could smell a damp must coming from outside, and he could hear the pitter-patter of the drops on his roof. He wasn't at all tired or groggy like he would usually be; just snapped his eyes open, just like it was the middle of the afternoon. He checked the clock.  
  
"6 A.M. Why would I wake up at 6 o'clock sharp?"  
  
He twirled the perfectly rounded marble in his fingers. He thought of Ioki. He got it now.  
  
"This is why I'm not exactly interested in..... some of the kind, well, some kind, beautiful aliens I've come across. This is why......"  
  
He paused.  
  
"Because I still love Ioki."  
  
He looked at the sapphire again before getting up and dressed. He slipped on his school uniform and went out to the living room, where Ayeka sat on the couch, and very surprisigly, was talking quietly with Ryoko. He had left the sapphire under his bed, where no one would find it and do who knows what with it. He walked over to the two.  
  
Ayeka looked behind her to see him, obviously very cheerful. "Hello, lord Tenchi," she chimed, "A bit early this morning, are we? You want to be a good student? Or did Tenchi just not finish his homework?". Tenchi smiled, hiding the depression.  
  
"Hello, Miss Ayeka," He copied, "A bit early this morning, are we? You want to be a good cover-up? Or did Ayeka just not become sober?" Ayeka crooked her smile to a scowl. Ryoko, strangely, did not respond. She sat there, quietly, and, as it looked, was staring at the wall.  
  
"Ryoko?" Tenchi questioned.  
  
He walked over to the front of the couch, only to gasp in a sudden surprise. He felt the word slip his lips.  
  
"Ioki!"  
  
It was Ioki. The only thing is, she didn't have Ryoko's hair anymore. Her long, brown hair hung over the back of the couch. She glanced up and smiled.  
  
"Hello, tenchi."  
Awake.  
  
"HOLY SHIT!"  
  
He covered his mouth. He saw the sapphire clutched in his right hand. He saw, heard, smelled the rain outside his window.  
  
"Was that a dream?"  
  
He checked the clock, still short of breath.  
  
"Damn! I'm late!"  
  
He slipped on his uniform, grabbed his books, and scrambled his way out the door, not bothering to eat breakfast.... or to hide the sapphire.  
  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
  
Tenchi stepped up to his home, to the door. His hair matted by rain, his clothing drenched, he turned the doorknob. He had forgotten to bring an umbrella.  
  
He stepped inside, to find Ayeka waiting for him. She gave him a scowl; the same scowl she gave him in his dream. A scowl of insult.  
  
"Why, hello, lord Tenchi," She said with a touch of annoyance in her voice, "Can we talk for a moment?"  
  
Tenchi's heart turned to stone and sunk, sunk to the bottom of him.  
  
"Alright," Replied Tenchi, "What would you like to talk about?"  
  
He hadn't noticed that she was holding an object behind her back. She brought out a small, round, blue stone. The sapphire.  
  
"I found this beside your bed."  
  
Tenchi felt his stomach sink, too. He wanted to ask what she was doing inhis room in the first place, but he didn't bother; Ayeka saw the vision.  
  
"Come with me, Tenchi."  
  
She grabbed his hand, squeezed the sapphire in the other hand, and closed her eyes. The blue cloud covered them.  
Tenchi saw it.  
  
The young man, and Ioki. They were on his bed. It started as a kiss. Then, it grew into more than a kiss.  
  
All of a sudden, he was side-tracked.  
  
Aeka pounced on him and knocked him to the floor.  
  
"Don't you see, Tenchi?"  
  
"See what???"  
  
"The young boy, he is you."  
  
"And?"  
  
"And the young girl..."  
  
"Yes?"  
  
"She is me, is she not???"  
  
Tenchi became incredibly confused; how could Aeka ever think she had brown hair?  
  
"Is she, Tenchi? She looks so much like me!"  
  
Ayeka must have been caught up in the moment, to the point where she was hallucinating. Ioki looked nothing like Ayeka.  
  
Before he could think, Ayeka gave him a kiss. A very deep, thorough kiss.  
  
Their lips parted. "I told you we were meant for each other."  
  
"There is a problem Ayeka."  
  
Ayeka did not listen. Just as he started to talk, she began to remove her blouse. He was speechless in shock; being raised as a small-town, wholesome boy, he had never seen a woman in her bra.  
  
"Do you like what you see, Tenchi? Because I see no problem here..."  
  
"..."  
  
He had a frozen look on his face. He was somewhat attracted to Ayeka, but he wasn't at all very serious about it.  
  
Still in shock, he felt Ayeka's hand on his property.  
  
"AH! WHAT THE HELL ARE YOU DOING?!?!"  
  
He brushed her hand off and half crab-walked, half stumbled backwards. Ayeka followed him on her hands and knees. She caught up with him quickly, and sat on his lap, hugging his waist with her knees.  
  
"Ooooooh, Tenchi, this is what the hell I'm doing!"  
  
She pushed him back and knocked him to the floor, on top of him with her hands and knees. She removed her skirt now, in her undergarments.  
  
"Oh no," Thought Tenchi, "This isn't good, not good at all. I'm not ready to do this with Miss Ayeka..."  
  
But he thought too slow, because before he knew it, Ayeka pinned his hands to the floor. Neither of them was paying any attention to the younger couple anymore; they were already too preoccupied.  
  
"Oh, yes, oh, Tenchi!"  
  
"Oh. My god."  
  
Tenchi was stuck on the floor, with Ayeka... moving on top of him. She carried herself around him, up and down, side to side. And he found, he didn't dislike it. He got a funny feeling, kind of like the feeling he got when he made out with Sakuya, but more intense.  
  
Ayeka slipped her hands under his shirt, started moving her hands in circles and slowly lifted his shirt up, up and off. Tenchi did nothing to stop it; he couldn't tell why. He did not want to offend Miss Ayeka, and he was still frozen with shock... but he also got a feeling he couldn't understand... he actually liked it.  
  
Before he knew it, he felt Ayeka's venturing hand again. He was overwhelmed...  
  
Tenchi opened his eyes.  
  
He found himself in a room he wasn't quite familiar with...  
  
Ayeka's bedroom!  
  
He turned around to see the warm, beautiful, pale body sleeping before him. Nervously, he lifted up the covers a bit to see that he was in the nude... and Ayeka...  
  
He gasped and turned around again. He got another one of those odd feeling-pangs. Did he just see a naked woman...?  
  
It was a new, strange thing to Tenchi. He thought back to Ioki. Then he remembered a few times before that this happened with her. But he wasn't nervous and sketchy as he had been with Ayeka. He and Ioki would go for a long time, finish it all out, and Tenchi would not be at all how he just was.  
  
"Good morning, Lord Tenchi."  
  
He turned around. Ayeka had half-opened her eyes, he could see that she had just woken up.  
  
"G...good morning, Miss Ayeka."  
  
She stretched out, exposing her breasts. Tenchi froze again.  
  
"You were great last night." 


	3. Chapter 3 Ryoko's Truth

((R&R OR I WILL PERSONALLY RIP OFF YOUR HEAD AND PLANT POSIES DOWN YOUR NECK STUMP! lol. I HIGHLY reccommend that you read chapters 1 and 2 before chapter 3. It will make so much more sense, you wouldn't believe it.))  
  
Tenchi walked outside, still a bit dazed. He couldn't believe what he saw that morning, or what happened last night. He decided to do some chores to get his mind off the issue.  
  
He decided to turn back as the enticing smell of Sasami's cooking wafted past his nose. He was hungry for some breakfast.  
  
The whole family sat down, no one absent. Ryoko's hair was frizzy and tangled. She wore a morning robe that, as uaual, just barely covered her features.  
  
Kiyone sat quietly, tired, cranky, and annoyed by the slurping sounds that Mihoshi made when she ate. She had messy hair like ryoko, but she was, of course, much more modest with her morning attire.  
  
Mihoshi was wide awake, fully dressed for the day, her hair in a neat ponytail. She made loud slurping sounds right beside Kiyone, completely oblivious that Kiyone was annoyed. And of the activity that happened last night between Tenchi and Ayeka.  
  
Noboyuki was, of course, being stupid as usual.  
  
"OW!" screamed Noboyuki, "This soup is too hot!"  
  
Washu had scuttled out of the depths of her laboratory to eat breakfast with everyone else.  
  
Sasami was smiling, enjoying the meal she had made, still in her cooking apron.  
  
Tenchi was staring at the floor. He had a feeling of guilt. If he looked up, he knew his eyes would lead him directly to Ayeka. He did not want to see the expression on her face. He ate silently, the tension building.  
  
Ayeka, on the other hand, was staring at Tenchi. She had no guilt; that night is the night she had dreamed about ever since she first met Tenchi. She was staring at him, her eyes half-closed, barely paying attention to her breakfast. She was dreaming about him, how they could have a future together.  
  
"I'm not hungry."  
  
Tenchi stood up, still looking down. he started to turn, when his eyes met Ayeka's. A stab of mixed emotions. He averted his gaze outside. He walked outside. He thought to himself.  
  
"Oh god, what happened," He thought, "Did Miss Ayeka do that to me while I was asleep? Or..." He wrinkled his brow. "Maybe I was awake? Maybe I was great last night, just like she said. Maybe I fell asleep drunk, and cokmpletely forgot the whole few hours it happened." He stopped walking, and paused. "...But I remember the beginning. If I remember the beginning, maybe..."  
  
He climbed onto the roof of the house, and slithered his way into Ayeka's room. He looked around, something he would not normally do. He thought it was useless, until he looked in her bedside cabinet, in the two small doors. There it was.  
  
A stockpile of liquor, bacardi, wine, and all sorts of alchohol. He let a faint whisper slip out of his throat.  
  
"So it really happened..."  
  
The bottles were open, some alchohol was spilled on Ayeka's bed and on the floor. Tenchi delicately set everything back in its place, so it looked like he had never been in the room.  
  
He made his way out of the small outlet to the roof at the top of the room. He sat on the wood on top of the house.  
  
"So I did it with her. At my own will."  
  
He laid back to watch the clouds in the sky.  
  
"I don't love Miss Ayeka," He said to himself, "Or do I...?"  
  
He thought for a while, silently, slowly trying to wear off the guilt.  
  
"Yes," He decided, "I do love her. I love her as a friend, as one of my best friends. Almost as a sister. I love her as family, not as a lover." He rolled to one side. "But she loves me a different way."  
  
"So that pretty much scratches that little bitch off the list!"  
  
Tenchi jolted up. The voice startled him. Once he saw who it was, he sat back down.  
  
"Oh, hi, Ryoko."  
  
Ryoko walked over and sat down beside him.  
  
"Alright Tenchi. What's wrong? I've noticed how strange you've been acting, not like your normal self."  
  
Tenchi glanced at her and looked down.  
  
"I...I can't tell you."  
  
"'Course ya can! You can tell me anything!" Ryoko smiled.  
  
"No, Ryoko. I can't.... tell you."  
  
Ryoko nudged closer to him.  
  
"Is everything okay?"  
  
Tenchi was surprised. Ryoko never really showed sympathy. Heck, usually, by now she would have him pinned down to the roof, trying to have sex with him.  
  
He looked up at her, into her eyes. He stared for a minute, could not quite tell what it was. Something about Ryoko's eyes, seemed to mesmerize him.  
  
"I..."  
  
Ryoko's comforting tone made him feel much better.  
  
"Yes?"  
  
"I... uh..."  
  
"What is it, Tenchi?"  
  
Before Ryoko could think any further, Tenchi lunged onto her and started to kiss her, much like Ayeka kissed him the other night.  
  
Typically, Ryoko was surprised. Blissfully surprised, but still very surprised. She felt like she was melting under him, her legs turning into jelly, her heart shooting up to her neck. Not with fear, but with lust.  
  
They stayed there for a few minutes, Ryoko giving in to Tenchi, Tenchi caressing Ryoko gently, his lips interlocked with hers. They parted, and looked into each other's eyes.  
  
Ryoko's heart racing, she managed to blurt out a few soft words.  
  
"Wow, Tenchi..."  
  
She laid there, smiling, feeling like everything she had ever wanted, everythig she had ever dreamed of, had come true.  
  
Tenchi himself was surprised at his own actions. "Why did I do that," He thought, "Why did my impulses cause me to kiss her? I don't love Ryoko, I love..."  
  
Then he knew. Ryoko's eyes told him everything.  
  
He knew now, ecstatic that he had finally found out. He thought to himself, ended the sentence in lhis head. "I love Ioki.".  
  
He saw now, what was different about Ryoko's eyes. They were no longer gold and evil.  
  
They were blue.  
  
He found that he was still holding her. He gathered up the courage to tell what he wanted to tell to Ryoko.  
  
"I love you."  
  
She smiled warmly, their noses touching, and reached herself up with her mouth to his ear.  
  
She whispered in his ear, so soflty and gently. "So you found out."  
Awake.  
  
Tenchi was on the roof still. He sat up to see a beautiful crimson, gold, and soft pink sunset. He no longer felt the depression. He felt warmth, strength, completion. Unlike the other dreams, this gave him a comfortable, cheerful feeling when he woke up.  
  
"It was just a dream," He said to himself, "But it felt so real..."  
  
Just like that moment in the dream, he got a sudden thought.  
  
"...A prophecy..."  
  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
  
Tenchi rolled over in his bed. It was a Saturday night, He was supposed to be tired at three o'clock in the morning, but not tonight. He felt a longing, a longing for Ryoko. How strange, he thought, that he loved Ryoko and Ioki. At the same time.  
  
"No," Tenchi whispered, "It can't be true. Ryoko is not the one I love. Ioki is." But he believed in the dream at the same time, so strongly. He closed his eyes.  
The strangest dream he had ever had.  
  
He found himself in a chamber, a sunken chamber under water. He was cofused at first, until he realized that he was actually under water.  
  
"I must breathe!" He had been holding his breath. But there was one problem: He was locked into a limb restraint! His wrists and ankles were fastened to a metal frame on a wall by steel bars.  
  
He thought his lungs were going to explode, when he finally decided to breathe the water, kill himself here and now so he wouldn't have to suffer the worse pain of suffocation.  
  
"3... 2... 1..." He counted down mentally.  
  
He let the air exit his lungs. A deep breath, he tried, the deepest and fullest breath, he let hgis lungs fill with the water, and...  
  
Nothing.  
  
He could breathe perfectly in the water.  
  
Now that he had that problem aside, he looked around him.  
  
Everywhere there was the blue, musty-look that you see when you are underwater.  
  
He saw that he was in an extremely large, round, wooden room.  
  
All of a sudden, he was in space, in a giant orb, covered in sprawling, old tree branches.  
  
He recognized it.  
  
He saw a figure in the distace. He couldn't move; the sprawling branches enclosed him from his elbows down, bressing his arms to the rest of his naked body.  
  
It came closer, until he could focus on who it was.  
  
"Tsunami!"  
  
"Hello, Tenchi. Pleasant seeing you again."  
  
She smiled at him with her usual half-closed eyes.  
  
"It is a good thing you can make it. I needed to talk to you."  
  
Tenchi was in awe. Had Tsunami actually called upon him?  
  
"...Y...y...yes, Tsunami?"  
  
"I have watched your mood patterns over the last few days. I do find them odd, so I decided that now is the time to talk to you. It is about Ioki."  
  
Tenchi's heart turned into a rock, from angst, excitement, and fear. Fear that Ioki might be in trouble.  
  
"I can tell you this, Tenchi: Ioki is not far away."  
  
"And?"  
  
She started to fade.  
  
"Tsunami! TSUNAMI! Finish what you started! Please!"  
  
He tried to struggle from his wooden restraints. They started to crack, but Tsunami was going fast.  
  
He could see her lips moving, but he could only hear a faint mumbling sound. A creepy, unsettling mumbling sound.  
  
Tsunami reached out her hands, as if she was trying to reach him.  
  
Tenchi burst from his branches with incredible strength. He instantly stood up and ran towards Tsunami, not caring that he was wearing nothing.  
  
"Tsunami!"  
  
She faded. Tenchi stopped, and dropped to his knees.  
  
"No..."  
  
He could feel more self-pity coming on. He could feel a loss, and he lowered his head.  
  
"No," He thought, "I shouldn't feel like this. Tsunami told me an important thing. Ioki is not far away. But how...?"  
  
He believed it now. He realized what was going on.  
  
"Ryoko!"  
  
Tenchi looked up and smiled. He watched the blank space where Tsunami had dissappeared, and waved.  
  
"Goodbye, Tsunami, and thank you."  
Awake.  
  
Tenchi felt something hard in his right hand. He unfolded his fingers, to see the sapphire clutched tightly.  
  
"Tsunami did this!" He sat up, now understanding where the sapphire came from. "She was trying to communicate with me this whole time. She sent me this sapphire to trigger the memory of Ioki... It is a message from Ioki!... A message to show me that she has come back."  
  
Tenchi kissed the marble in thanks. He tucked it under his bed to hide it from Ayeka and any visions she might want to fantasize. It wasn't that he didn't like her seeing things she wanted; he just didn't want what happened the other night to happen again.  
  
He got dressed and headed outside for a bright, beautiful day. 


	4. Chapter 4 Tenchi's Destiny

((As if you haven't figured out by now, R & R!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Now, I will state my gory threat to tell you what will happen if you don't Read and Review: R&R OR I WILL GUT YOU WITH A RUSTY SPOON, CUT OFF YOUR NOSE AND SHOVE IT UP YOUR BUTT! lol. I HIGHLY reccommend that you read chapters 1, 2, and 3 before you read this. In fact, if you do, it will make SO much more sense, you would not be able to comprehend how much more it would make sense. That make sense? GOOD!))  
  
Tenchi walked in from the day's work.  
  
The wet dew from the evening grass left mist on his shoes and pants. Tenchi felt warmth; not from the outside weather, but from inside him. He felt something he hadn't in days: happiness.  
  
He walked inside, a bit weary from the day's garden work and chores. he plopped himself down on the couch, and reminisced what had happened over the past few days. He was glad that he was out of his 'confustion' phase. He was now much more comfortable around Ryoko.  
  
That reminded him.  
  
He wanted to see Ryoko. Very badly. He stood up, and looked around.  
  
"Ryoko?"  
  
No answer.  
  
He walked around, looking throughout the whole house.  
  
"Ryoko? Where are you???"  
  
He walked into her room and found nothing. Then, he figured out where she must be.  
  
"Aha! My room!"  
  
He ran to his chamber and opened the door. No Ryoko. But he saw a piece of paper on his pillow.  
  
"What's this?"  
  
It was a note:  
  
"Dear Tenchi,  
  
I just wanted you to know that I'm safe. I do not have much time to write, for I-"  
  
That was it.  
  
Tenchi sat down on his bed and set down the note to put his head in his hands.  
  
"No..."  
  
He thought he had figured it out. He thought that he could just go up to her, and confirm the truth. But no. Life wasn't that easy. Life was never that easy. He had just been so happy, and now he was so sad. Such small things, like a piece of paper with writing on it, can ruin his whole day. All his days, until he finds her.  
  
"That's it," He said, "I'm going to find her. I have gone through too much with Ryoko to just let her go."  
  
It was approaching dark.  
  
He grabbed the note and put it in his pocket.  
  
"I know what I must do."  
  
He walked out of the house, late at night, after he made sure everyone was asleep. He ran down to Funaho the tree. There he found the cabinet.  
  
He opened it. There it was, his sword. A new sword, one that Ryoko had given him for his birthday.  
  
He put his hand to it, felt its power. There was something special about this sword, something he had never had before, a power he had never used.  
  
"I never thought I would need you."  
  
He grabbed the sheath out of the cabinet and shut it. He put on the sheath, and sheathed his sword.  
  
He ran back to the house, and slowly tiptoed in. He grabbed a piece of paper and a pen; he had to write a note, so his family wouldn't think something bad happened to him. He jotted down a quick note, and left. He shut the door behind him, and said his farewell.  
  
"Goodbye, house."  
  
"...Goodbye, Ayeka."  
  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
  
Tenchi looked at the letter once he was at Funaho again.  
  
"Where did she go...?"  
  
He sat there for half an hour, trying to decypher where Ryoko could have gone.  
  
Suddenly, there was a rustling in the bushes. it caught his attention.  
  
"H...hello?"  
  
He crawled closer to the noise, and drew his sword.  
  
"Whoever you are, be prepared to fight!"  
  
He saw large, dark eyes in the bush. Tenchi tensed.  
  
It popped out of the shrubs. Ryo-ohki!  
  
"Oh, hi, Ryo-ohki!"  
  
He smiled and pet her. Then, he realized that Ryo-ohki might be his key to finding Ryoko. He sheathed his sword.  
  
"Ryo-ohki, would you happen to know where Ryoko is?"  
  
Ryo-ohki pointed her ears downward and hissed.  
  
"It's alright, Ryo-ohki, it's over. So you know where she is? Could you take me there?"  
  
Ryo-ohki lightened up and smiled.  
  
"Meow!"  
  
"Thanks!"  
  
She ran, jumped, and formed into the space ship. She lowered and opened her door. Tenchi walked inside.  
  
It was a plethera of controls, buttons, levers and switches! Tenchi had no idea how to do anything.  
  
"Uh, Ryo-ohki," He stammered, "I know nothing about flying spaceships. Could you help me out here?"  
  
"Meoooooooowwwwwwwww!"  
  
The ship started to rumble violently, and Tenchi hung on to a seat so he wouldn't slip and fall.  
  
Takeoff!  
  
The ship lifted off the ground and soared into the sky. Tenchi found his way into a seat, and watched out the window as they soared into space.  
  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
  
A red and a blue light glowed.  
  
Tenchi had completely forgotten about Ayeka's two wooden, Jurian companions: Azaka and Kamidake.  
  
"What is going on?"  
  
"I don't know, Kamidake, why don't you check?"  
  
"Ryo-ohki is blasting off! Follow her!"  
  
The two floated out of their hole in the ground, towards Ryo-ohki.  
  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
  
They had been flying for hours, Ryo-ohki going along the path that she had tracked to find Ryoko.  
  
All of a sudden, she ship jolted.  
  
"What the hell was that?!"  
  
"MROOOOOOOOOOWWWWW!!!!"  
  
"Damn! I forgot about them!....... Ah, just let them in before they ruin the ship."  
  
The door opened into the air draining and filling chamber, and the two guardians floated through the chambers until they reached the control room.  
  
"Lord Tenchi! We had noticed the liftoff!"  
  
"Yes, Azaka."  
  
"We thought that there might be trouble...?"  
  
"Yes, Kamidake."  
  
There was a long silence.  
  
"Look, I'm on a mission to find someone, and you will be no help."  
  
Then, he remembered.  
  
Ayeka had a connection with Azaka and Kamidake. She will soon sense that they're gone, and she will be forced to call upon them to take her to Tenchi. She would find out about the mission. And if she found out that he had gone looking for Ryoko, everything would be ruined.  
  
"Look, you got to go, NOW!"  
  
"But why, Lord Tenchi?"  
  
"Just go!"  
  
"We can not leave without a credible reason."  
  
Tenchi slapped his head.  
  
"This is going to be harder than I thought," He said to himself.  
  
He couldn't tell Azaka and Kamidake about his mission to find Ryoko; they would definetely tell Ayeka, and the whole sequence would play out before him: Ayeka gets mad and orders them to take her to him, the mission would be spoiled, Ryoko would have no hope of being found. Just like that.  
  
"You just have to go-"  
  
"Wait," chimed Azaka, "I am getting a reading from Miss Ayeka... We must go."  
  
"Shit," Tenchi thought, "Here it goes."  
  
They exited the ship, and Tenchi sat back down at the controls.  
  
"I don't want to hurt Ayeka's feelings; I love her. But I don't want Ryoko to remain lost. I just know Ayeka will make everything worse."  
  
He made his final decision.  
  
"Light speed, Ryo-ohki."  
  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
  
He was cruising along, until He felt a large damaging of the side of the ship.  
  
"Pirates!"  
  
He had fallen out of his seat. He stood back up and sat back in his chair.  
  
"Ryo-ohki! Attack!"  
  
Ryo-ohki fired blasts of energy at the pirate ships. Clouds of them surrounded the two, Ryo-ohki firing and hitting with excellent aim.  
  
She blasted a narrow clearing that they zipped through, a cloud of thousands of pirate ships following them. Ryo-ohki tried with all her effort to evade them.  
  
Miles after miles had passed, and they still hadn't been able to get rid of the pirates.  
  
"Row mow meorow meow!"  
  
"Great! We're almost there!"  
  
They closed in on a small, cold planet. They were just a few minutes away. All they needed to do is get rid of the pirates.  
  
The little blue planet seemed to get closer and closer by the second.  
  
The siren went on. Tenchi read a red alarm light: "ENTERING FOREIGN PLANET".  
  
Before Tenchi could do anything, turbulence hit the ship like a cannonball hitting its target.  
  
"We're entering the atmosphere!"  
  
He could see the icy cliffs now- steep, jagged, icy cliffs. Cliffs that could pierce and kill......  
  
"Whoa! Ryo-ohki! Slow down!"  
  
Alarms rung in his ears. He turbulence was worse now. It knocked him down, and just when he pulled himself up again, it pulled his feet right out from under him.  
  
They were nearing the planet's surface, with extreme heat and rattling of the ship being too much for Tenchi to bear. He weakly pulled himself up using the chair.   
  
All of a sudden, the ship jolted. Tenchi was thrown across the room, and his head violently smashed up against the doorway.  
  
All went black.  
  
Tenchi opened his eyes, a throbbing pain in his head and his left arm. He looked out the window...  
  
The ship was sinking!  
  
Tenchi frantically scrambled out of the chambers, his injuries jabbing and aching more with every step.  
  
He was in the last chamber before the outside, the air filling and draining chamber.  
  
He opened the door, just to be pulled off of his feet by a wave of incoming water. He took a deep breath and swam out with all the strength he had left.  
  
His lungs were bursting. He could see imaginary things, his brain quickly losing oxygen. Just when he thought he was going to drown, he felt land.  
  
Tired, weary, in pain, sad, and distressed, he slowly pulled himself out of the water, on to dry land, and fell asleep.  
  
A restless sleep.  
  
Tenchi dreamt of Ryoko. He had never done so before, never even thought of it. But he missed her. He missed her and longed for her, longed for her words, and her touch, and her kiss.  
  
He longed for her love.  
  
A strange place. A strange, beautiful place.  
  
He could see Ryoko sitting on a rock, looking over a sunset. Tenchi joined her, and sat beside her. He looked at the sunset, and then at her. He saw Ioki.  
  
He saw Ioki in her, in her eyes, in her soul. He saw her change to ioki. He held Ioki close to himself, held her and embraced her and loved her.  
  
He stared into her eyes, she stared into his. The scenery, the sunset, the love. It was all to perfect.  
  
Their lips came close...  
  
Awake.  
  
He felt the depression again. He awoke to a raging snowstorm, Ryo-ohki curled up beside him, asleep. He didn't want to leave the dream; it felt too good, too warm.  
  
It felt too real.  
  
He pushed himself up, and awoke Ryo-ohki.  
  
"I must keep going."  
  
Wearing only jeans, a t-shirt, and regular shoes in a huge snowstorm, he was freezing cold. Him and Ryo-ohki wandered through the snow for hours, Ryo-ohki leading him the whole way.  
  
Trailing on and on.  
  
Mind-bendingly long.  
  
Insanely long.  
  
Tenchi wondered to himself how Ryoko got so far, so fast. It had taken him at least two days to get as far as he was, with almost no sleep; it took Ryoko only the few hours he had been out doing chores. Someone must have taken her, have kidnapped her.  
  
They had been walking for about eight hours, the cold starting to get to Tenchi's head.  
  
"Dammit, Ryo-ohki! We're never going to find her!"  
  
He dropped to the ground and started slamming his fists in the snow.  
  
"I'm such a fucking idiot! I'll never survive out here in this cold! Hell, I didn't even pack myself a jacket!!!!"  
  
Ryo-ohki walked over to him slowly.  
  
"Rrrrow?"  
  
"No, Ryo-ohki. I'm not happy at all."  
  
He crossed his arms and laid down in the snow and started to cry. Tears flowed out of his eyes and down his cheeks. They dropped off his chin and into the snow. He stopped for a minute, and the trail of excess left behind from the tears froze on his face. He wiped this off and looked upward at the sky.  
  
The storm had practically stopped by the time he was done crying. He could see coulds....... the same cloud patterns as he had seen in his dreams.  
  
Feeling a new hope in the coincidence, Tenchi stood up and glanced at Ryo-ohki, then in a different direction.  
  
"Alright, let's go." 


	5. Chapter 5 The Unexpected Visit

((R&R, OR I WILL BE FORCED TO............ STOP THE FANFIC!!!!! DUN DUN DUNNNNNNNNN!!!!!! lol. I mean it this time; if there are no reviews, there is no way for me to know if people like it. So when you read it, please take a quick minute and send a review! Thank you.))  
  
Tenchi walked through the storm until he saw the sun come up.  
  
In the faint distance, with the middle of the sun centered perfectly behind it, he saw the figure of a small, round building.  
  
His heart leapt with excitement!  
  
Tenchi swept up Ryo-ohki and ran as fast as his tired, weak, battered, snowblown legs could carry him.  
  
"There it is, Ryo-ohki! Do you see it?"  
  
Ryo-ohki opened her little round eyes. She saw the figure getting closer, and sensed Ryoko's presence nearby.  
  
"Mrow!!!!"  
  
He left tracks in the snow, until he realized that his feet and legs needed a break. He needed badly to go to the restroom.  
  
"Don't look, Ryo-ohki!"  
  
Ryo-ohki turned as he spun around and unzipped his pants.  
  
While he was relieving himself, Ryo-ohki saw the building.  
  
It was moving.  
  
"RRRRRRRRRRROOOOOOOOWWWWWWWWWW!!!!!!!!"  
  
"WHAT?!?! What do you mean it's moving?!?!"  
  
Tenchi finished and zipped up his trousers. He saw it too. He knew what it was instantly.  
  
"DUCK!"  
  
He grabbed a hold of Ryo-ohki, held her to his chest, and jumped to the ground just as it came close.  
  
It hovered right over them, and started to turn.  
  
"HOLY SHIT! IT'S AN AIRCRAFT!"  
  
"Mow."  
  
"No, Ryo-ohki, I can curse in these types of situations."  
  
He tucked her in his shirt, and hugged her close to keep her warm. Her body heat helped warm him in return.  
  
"I should have thought of that sooner."  
  
The ship zoomed by again, and Tenchi jumped off to the side to dodge it.  
  
It flew a few yards and turned to come after them again.  
  
Tenchi unsheathed his sword.  
  
"You sure do come in handy."  
  
The craft came closer, and Tenchi jumped as high as he could, sticking his sword out firmly in front of himself.  
  
It jammed into the ship's back, and Tenchi held on tight, to see if it would lead him anywhere.  
  
As he positioned himself, he noticed a symbol of an eye inside a triangle. Below it read:  
  
"Urim"  
  
"Urim?"  
  
Tenchi heard Ryo-ohki's muffled voice coming from inside his shirt.  
  
"Mea, meow meow."  
  
"You're right; it probably is where this aircraft came from."  
  
He felt turbulence hit the ship.  
  
"Hold on tight!"  
  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
  
After about an hour of flying, they came upon a large, black tower with hundreds of windows and elevators going up, down, around, and even to the sides.  
  
It was a strange sight, such a tall, thriving tower in such a cold, desolate place. Tenchi felt an extremely painful hit on his back, knocking him off the ship, into a patch of 2 foot deep snow.  
  
"Thanks a lot, stupid!"  
  
Tenchi looked up to see who he was adressing.  
  
"M....Miss Ayeka?"  
  
There was Princess Ayeka, dressed in full winter clothing, sitting on the heads of Azaka and Kamidake.  
  
"Thanks a lot to you, Lord Tenchi! Let me ask what the hell you are doing here!"  
  
"........................."  
  
"Well, answer me!!!!"  
  
"I'm..... cold."  
  
"You have everyone back at home worried sick! You cannot just go off like that and do whatever you want, not caring about the family! You should be ashamed-"  
  
"Look, PRINCESS AYEKA, for one thing, you are NOT the boss of me! For another thing, this whole ordeal is none of your DAMN BUSINESS! And last of all, you shouldn't treat me like that! I have been attacked by your guardians, barraged by pirates, practically killed countless times, almost drowned in a spaceship crash, wandered almost aimlessly through the snow for days, almost killed by a flying building, and I have no time for your petty, nagging shit!!!!!  
  
"Well excuse me, 'Mister Kind to a Princess that Deserves to be Treated Better', but I had no idea what you just went through! What, do you think I'm psychic???"  
  
"YOU'RE A FUCKIN' ROYAL JURIAN! You can communicate telepathically with Azaka and Kamidake! You ARE phsychic!!!"  
  
"That doesn't count!"  
  
"Yes it does!"  
  
"You were lucky that I arrived here with warmth and protection! You should be thankful!"  
  
"You just screwed up my ride to that tower to save R-...."  
  
"To save WHO? That bitch RYOKO?????"  
  
"Uh............"  
  
"Oh, Tenchi! I thought you said you loved me that night that we made love."  
  
"You got me drunk!"  
  
"Oh, so you..... don't......"  
  
Tears formed in Ayeka's eyes. Tenchi saw that what he had said made her sad, so being the kind of man he was, he lightened his mood and tried to comfort her, but tell her the truth.  
  
"Ayeka..."  
  
"Yes, tenchi?"  
  
"I have something to tell you."  
  
"What is that, Tenchi?"  
  
"I do love you."  
  
"You do?-"  
  
"...But I don't love you in the way you might hope. I love you almost as a sister, as a best friend. You are my best friend. And you are very beautiful, and I am somewhat attracted to you, but I do not want to ruin our friendship with romance."  
  
"But, Tenchi..."  
  
Tenchi embraced her.  
  
"So what you said-"  
  
"Do you understand?"  
  
Ayeka looked down.  
  
"...Yes, I understand."  
  
Tenchi brought his lips to her forehead, kissed her, and held her close, her cheek to his chest.  
  
"I'm glad you do."  
  
They looked at each other for a moment, as if they were lovers.  
  
"...You are cold. Would you like to share my coat?"  
  
"Yes, that would be nice."  
  
Ayeka opened her coat and gave him space. Since the Juraian attire was usually very spacious and large, it fit both of them perfectly.  
  
"Would you ride me to that tower?"  
  
"Sure."  
  
Azaka and Kamidake took off. Tenchi was warm and they were going fast, but Ayeka was not so happy.  
  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
  
They approached the entrance.  
  
"Thank you for the ride, Ayeka."  
  
Tenchi hugged her and stepped off.  
  
"I'm off to save Ryoko. I hope to see you soon."  
  
Just as he turned to go, he felt Ayeka's hand grab the back of his shirt.  
  
"Tenchi..."  
  
"Yes, Ayeka?"  
  
".........Be careful."  
  
"I will."  
  
They exchanged a smile, and Ayeka quickly put her mouth to his in a goodbye kiss.  
  
They parted lips.  
  
"I'm sorry."  
  
"It's alright."  
  
Tenchi gave her a warm grin before turning once more, and ran inside.  
  
Ayeka smiled at the floor.  
  
"Azaka, Kamidake, take me home."  
  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
  
Tenchi ran through the halls of the giant building, taking elevators and running up steps and through passageways for at least an hour. Soon enough, he came upon two large doors that lead to one room, guarded by a huge guard on either side.  
  
"I'm sorry, but you cannot enter without an invitation."  
  
Tenchi stood for a few minutes.  
  
"Well, what if I have an invitation?"  
  
"It must be authorized by us."  
  
"I have one."  
  
"Show it!"  
  
Tenchi frantically thought to come up with something to get him by. Then, he knew.  
  
"Right... here."  
  
He walked over and put his hand to the handle of the sword. The guards leaned in.  
  
"Here's your invitation!"  
  
With amazing speed, Tenchi unsheathed the sword and decapitated the first guard.  
  
"Why, you little bastard!"  
  
The second guard put up his seven-foot shield, and pointed forward his twenty-foot spear, ready to charge Tenchi.  
  
Tenchi was ready for his attack, jumping over the large behemoth and landing on the top of his head.  
  
"Say goodbye!"  
  
He tried to stab the sword in, but the guard's head armor was too hard to cut through.  
  
Tenchi was dumbfounded.  
  
He looked around the room, knowing he had to make his decision quick, before the guard killed him.  
  
But before he could do anything, the guard slammed his head forward and threw Tenchi off, flinging him onto the wall.  
  
SMACK!  
  
Tenchi slid down to the floor. The guard charged him again.  
  
Then, Tenchi noticed.  
  
The first guard had dropped his weapon instantly when he died.  
  
Tenchi evaded the guard's charge, causing the guard to run his head into the wall.  
  
Only a few moments. He had to work fast.  
  
Tenchi ran over to the other guard's spear and tried to pick it up.  
  
Too heavy. He had to pull harder.....  
  
The guard freed his head from the wall and started to charge him again.  
  
Just in time, Tenchi lifted up the spear and pointed it directly in front of himself.  
  
Being stupid, the guard ran right into the spear, and was punctured all the way through, the point of the spear coming out of his back.  
  
He was instantly killed.  
  
Tenchi grabbed his sword and sloshed through all the blood, and remains of the guards to get to the doors.  
  
He stepped up to the entrance. There was a large triangle with an eye in it.  
  
"The symbol I saw on the aircraft!"  
  
He left the two corpses behind, and opened the door a crack.  
  
"Welcome, boy."  
  
He opened the door all the way.  
  
"I have come for Ryoko. Where is she?"  
  
He was in a giant room, the ceiling, he guessed, being a hundred feet high, the walls probably many times as long.  
  
He observed his surroundings. There was a large, red velvet chair at the other end of the room. In it was a tall man with long, white hair.  
  
"Come, boy."  
  
Tenchi looked around as he walked down the red velvet carpet toward the man.  
  
Then, he saw.  
  
At the chair's side, there was a capsule.  
  
The capsule was filled with liquid, holding a nude, unconscious Ryoko.  
  
Tenchi neared the man, and stopped about twenty feet away from the chair.  
  
"Allow me to introduce myself."  
  
The man looked up and met eye-to-eye with Tenchi.  
  
"Kagato!" 


	6. Chapter 6 The Great Battle

((Remember to R&R. I shouldn't have to remind you to by now, but I will anyway: IF YOU DON'T R&R, I WILL PULL ALL YOUR FINGERS AND TOENAILS OFF ONE BY ONE, AS SLOWLY AS POSSIBLE, THEN SHOVE THEM UP YOUR NOSE!!!! lol. I HIGHLY reccommend that you read all 5 chapters that came before this chapter before you read chapter 6.))  
  
Tenchi grasped the sword in his hand, tightened his anger-powered fingers until his knuckles turned white.  
  
"I can feel your anger, boy...."  
  
Tenchi stopped himself to think. "I can't get him unless I use knowledge, not anger. I have to use the skills I know."  
  
"You may not enjoy seeing this," Kagato exclaimed as he pressed a small, yellow button on the wall to the right of his chair. A blast of electricity surged through Ryoko's small, aquatic cell. Even in a state of non-consciousness, he could see her cringe in her watery sleep.  
  
"AUGH! YOU!!!!!"  
  
Tenchi ran with all the force he could sum up, galloping with raging anger towards the demon-man. He jumped and lunged at Kagato, thrusting his sword full-force at his head.  
  
But, as soon as he had made the attack, Kagato disappeared in a teleportation flash, not different from Ryoko's.  
  
"Foolish boy!"  
  
With that, the demon fired a blast of energy towars Tenchi, almost killing him.  
  
"No... why did I do that...? I was supposed to use my skills..."  
  
Dark.  
  
Tenchi opened his eyes.  
  
He was in space, in the very same orb in which he met Tsunami in.  
  
"...Why am I here?"  
  
There was a long silence as Tenchi, unlike before, freely walked around the orb.  
  
"Hello, Tenchi."  
  
"Wha-"  
  
He turned around in a flash, to see who it was.  
  
"Ioki..."  
  
"Tenchi..."  
  
They stopped in a long-lost stare, a loving silence that Tenchi would never forget.  
  
"W... what are you doing here?"  
  
Ioki grasped his hand.  
  
"I am here to talk to you about something that I have been trying to say to you for a long, long time..."  
  
"..................What do you need to tell me?"  
  
She came close to him, rested her head on his shoulder and spoke softly. Spoke tenderly, comfortingly into his beaten hears, warmed his frozen cheeks and embraced his battered form.  
  
"Tenchi... your visions..."  
  
Tenchi leaned his head in on hers and smelled her soft, silky hair.  
  
"They tell you about the past, about what happened to me."  
  
"...No, they don't tell me of what happened to you. They tell me of how we were, so long ago-"  
  
Before Tenchi could speak any further, he came to a realization. A horrific realization.  
  
He remembered a gray, rainy dawn.  
  
He felt the rain patter on his windows and roof, saw the clock.  
  
"6 a.m."  
  
A younger Tenchi waked outside to see Ioki.  
  
"Ioki... what are you doing here?"  
  
"Tenchi..."  
  
"Yes?"  
  
"...I must leave you."  
  
"But why?"  
  
He saw the young woman bow her head and cover her face with the black rain hat, tighten herself in the long, draping gray coat.  
  
"I feel a demon. It is bad luck here. I cannot stay."  
  
A taxi came and the doors opened.  
  
"Don't... go..."  
  
The young Tenchi was heartbroken.  
  
"Goodbye."  
  
Before Tenchi could react, Ioki stepped into the taxi, and the doors closed. The engine started, and the car started to go.  
  
"WAIT!"  
  
Tenchi ran and ran, but the cab only gained speed. He was not fast enough, as he saw the automobile slowly disappear into the distance.  
  
"No..."  
  
Tears welled in his eyes.  
  
"I wish to forget this ever happened."  
  
Awake.  
  
Tenchi opened his eyes and focused back to Ioki.  
  
"Yes, they did tell me how I lost you. But how did I forget you?" Tenchi gave her hand a squeeze. "How could I forget you?"  
  
"Well, Tenchi, Tsunami granted your wish."  
  
"What?"  
  
"You wished to forget that it ever happened. Tsunami sensed that your life may be in danger if you remembered; you might have committed suicide. So, for your own sake, she erased your entire memory of me."  
  
Tenchi paused.  
  
"So... what about the sapphire? And how come I remember you now?"  
  
"When I left, I went to fight Kagato, because he had intentions to destroy Earth. Eventually, we got into a battle. He was about to kill me, when he decided to capture me instead. He saw that we were in love, and he saw your power. To lure you over, he kept me in a tiny glass cell that he kept beside his master chair."  
  
"So how did I get to remembering you?"  
  
"Hold on! I'm getting to it. So, I was kept in the cell for a few years, until Tsunami realized that I was in grave danger. Kagato would abuse me; he would beat me and rape me, but most of the time he would keep me in the cell nude, and ruin my dignity. But, I could not do anything about it, for if I moved, he would electrocute me with an annoying little button he kept on the wall beside his chair-"  
  
"Wait! Did you say he raped you???"  
  
Realizing what she had told him, she leaned forward and kissed him.  
  
"It's alright, Tenchi; I did not enjoy being raped by a demon the least bit."  
  
Tenchi settled, and sat back down so she could finish her story.  
  
"Well, eventually, Tsunami created a nonexistent history of a woman named Ryoko. She took the body of a dead demon-woman that had fought in the Jurian - Demon War, determined the name Ryoko, and saved my soul from Kagato. She placed my soul in the body of Ryoko, and sent me to Earth. Naturally, not wanting to reveal the truth to you yet, she made sure that as long I was in Ryoko's body, my personality would be completely different from how I normally am. After making sure everything was in order, she sent me crashing down to Earth as Ryoko, the space pirate. When the time came, she decided it was time for you to rescue me, Ioki, but she could not verbally or visually communicate with you. Therefore, the memories of me that she had taken from you were put into the sapphire that I gave you as a gift so long ago. She sent it straight to you."  
  
"So what happened when Ryoko was kidnapped?"  
  
"Well, Kagato had been searching for me those years that I stayed at your house as Ryoko. Eventually, he snuck into your house and kidnapped me. He did it in a split second, without making a sound, so even if someone was in the room, they wouldn't notice. I tried to tell you, but I could not get through to you. Kagato wanted you there so he could kill you. So, all in all, you weren't out to save Ryoko......... You were out to save me."  
  
Tenchi was shocked. He could not handle the fact that all this time, whenever he insulted Ryoko, hit her, yelled at her, did anything to make her feel bad... he was doing that to Ioki. He did the only thing he could do.  
  
Tenchi sprug forward and wrapped his arms around her.  
  
"I'm so sorry..."  
  
Ioki took the embrace warmly, and the two slowly rocked back and forth.  
  
"It's alright, Tenchi. You never knew."  
  
They broke the hug, and stared into each others eyes. Ioki studied the patterns of his beautiful brown eyes, and Tenchi gazed into her captivating, blue eyes. They leaned in for a kiss, a kiss they had not shared in so long.  
  
Tenchi had not experienced this feeling since the last time they kissed; not disguised by the appearance of Ryoko, but since Tenchi was a young teenager. He could not take it any longer, he slipped his hands around to her back and started to lift off her shirt. Ioki bit his lip to stop the kiss.  
  
"Stop, Tenchi."  
  
"Why?"  
  
"I'm afraid we have not much time left. You have to fight Kagato."  
  
"............Of course."  
  
Tenchi got off of her and stood.  
  
"Bye bye, Tenchi."  
  
The orb faded, Tenchi still watching Ioki wave to him.  
  
Awake.  
  
Tenchi rubbed his head as he saw Kagato back at his chair. He did not get up, for fear that Kagato might notice him and kill himon the spot.  
  
"But no," He thought to himself, "I cannot just hide like that. I must save Ioki."  
  
Tenchi stood.  
  
Kagato shot his eyes in Tenchi's direction, and stood up in an instant.  
  
"Stupid boy! You are supposed to be dead by now!!!"  
  
Tenchi unsheathed his sword.  
  
"No, Kagato. I do not die that easily."  
  
Enraged at Tenchi's defiance, Kagato did what he could.  
  
"Then I guess you can die now!"  
  
In the blink of an eye, Kagato drew his beam sword and teleported to Tenchi, slashing at his ankles.  
  
Tenchi jumped over the beam and flipped behind Kagato. He jabbed his sword at Kagato's back. Kagato immediately jumped to the side.  
  
"You're one tough cookie, child!"  
  
Tenchi slashed his sword at Kagato's head, Kagato slashing at Tenchi's at the same time. Their swords clashed, with extreme tension pressing the blades against each other.  
  
"Don't... call... me... a... child!"  
  
SLASH!  
  
Before Kagato could react to his further defiance, Tenchi used his sword to push Kagato's aside. He leapt at Kagato and toppled him to the floor, having one foot on his chest. He pointed the sword at Kagato's neck.  
  
"Any last words?"  
  
Kagato smirked.  
  
"Why, yes, boy..."  
  
Not recieving the message, Tenchi smirked a victory smirk.  
  
"Yes???"  
  
"Die in hell!"  
  
"Wha-?"  
  
Kagato disappeared, and reappeared just behind Tenchi's back. He made a furious jab at Tenchi's bottom vertibrae.  
  
Tenchi jumped and back-flipped onto Kagato's shoulders, trying to choke him with his legs.  
  
"You cannot choke a demon, stupid boy!"  
  
He disappeared. Tenchi could not see him.  
  
"Stupid self," Tenchi thought, "You have to work quickly, or he'll disappear-"  
  
He saw a shadow growing at his feet.  
  
"Kagato!"  
  
Tenchi jumped and rolled out of the way just as Kagato smashed onto the ground, practically breaking the floor.  
  
Tenchi thought fast. What was he going to do?  
  
He looked around the room in a frantic search for something to beat Kagato with.  
  
Then, he saw.  
  
In the cell. There, floating in the place of Ryoko, was Ioki. He hadn't seen Ioki naked in years.  
  
"Ioki..."  
  
Kagato saw what he was watching.  
  
"Yes, Ioki," Said Kagato, and teleported to the button.  
  
He pressed the button, spreading jolts of electricity throughout Ioki's cell. Tenchi saw the pain in her brow.  
  
"YOU!!!!! I'M GOING TO KILL YOU!"  
  
Tenchi ran full-force at him, tears streaming from his eyes, slipping down his cheeks and flying off behind him in watery strands. He pointed his sword in front of himself.  
  
Kagato had no time to react; He was halfway through teleporting when Tenchi stabbed him, full-throttle, in the neck.  
  
Kagato had a surprised look on his face. He cringed with extreme anger and pain.  
  
"Boy..."  
  
Tenchi removed his sword. Kagato spoke with what strength he had left.  
  
"Say goodbye to me, my castle, and your little friend..."  
  
"What?"  
  
"You interfered with my teleportation, causing my system to overload..."  
  
"What does that mean???"  
  
"Prepare to be blown to bits; I'm going to explode!"  
  
Tenchi ran over to the capsule and broke the glass with his sword.  
  
"W...What are you doing??? Foolish... boy!"  
  
He pulled out Ioki, capsule liquids flowing out of the glass container.  
  
Kagato could only do so much as to raise his arm, before he felt a swelling pain in his lungs, stomach and pancreas.  
  
Tenchi looked around. The only ways out were the doors... and the windows.  
  
He ran to a window, stepped up on it, and gulped.  
  
"Well, here goes nothing."  
  
He jumped. He felt the air streaming up his legs and in his shirt.  
  
The building was exploding behind him, enormous chunks of rock and flaming debris flying every which way. Tenchi looked down and saw the ground nearing. He closed his eyes.  
  
"Well, this is it. I guess we're done for..."  
  
He felt the mass that was he and Ioki nearing the ground, when the falling stopped.  
  
"Wha-?"  
  
Tenchi opened his eyes.  
  
"Ryo-ohki!"  
  
"Meow!"  
  
Tenchi landed oh a metal plank protruding from Ryo-ohki's ship doorway. He made his way in, carrying the unconscious Ioki with him.  
  
He came inside to the warm, comfortable Ryo-ohki.  
  
"Ryo-ohki, I need to take care of this unconscious young woman."  
  
In response, a panel opened in the floor, and a bed with a protective, glass incasing with an air supply tube arose out of the floor. Tenchi walked over to it, and the encasing opened by its hinges. He laid Ioki down on the bed, and the glass slowly lowered, shutting Ioki in. The bed lowered into the ground, and the panel closed.  
  
"Ok, Ryo-ohki. Let's go home."  
  
Energy built up in the jets of Ryo-ohki, and they zipped towards home. 


	7. Chapter 7 The Reunition

((R&R OR I WILL STOP THE FANFIC, CUT OFF YOUR GENITALS WITH SCISSORS AND SUPERGLUE THEM UP YOUR NOSTRILS! lol. Sorry, I have been watching too much South Park. This chapter is a definite reason why the fanfic is rated R. There is explicit sexual content in this chapter, so young eyes, look away. Even for you horny bastards that like rated R stories just for the sex, I still HIGHLY advise u read all the previous chapters before this one. Thanks, and enjoy the story.))  
  
A trickle of drool escaped his lips and dropped on the dashboard.  
  
"Huh?"  
  
Tenchi awoke from his staring daze with a start. It was such a long, grueling trip, much unlike the one to the ice planet, that Tenchi had fallen half-asleep. He rubbed his weary eyes and stood up. He shook his lazy head, the small prickles of hair flowing daintily on his scalp.  
  
He saw it.  
  
"HOME!"  
  
There was Earth, the small, blue-and-green-and-white planet, closing in faster than a small child closing in on a chocolate-chip cookie.  
  
"Ryo-ohki! There it is! Earth!"  
  
"Miyaaaaaaa!"  
  
But Tenchi's bliss soon faded as he felt the heat of an incoming atmosphere.  
  
"Uh-oh, Ryo-ohki, slow down!"  
  
The heat much reminded him of landing on the ice planet, but it was far more intense. The Earth's gravity was larger, and the atmosphere was thicker.  
  
"Does Mihoshi undergo this every mission?"  
  
"Mrrrrooowwwwwww!"  
  
A violent crash.  
  
Tenchi saw water cover the ship.  
  
"Ryo-ohki! Expose Ioki's bed!"  
  
The metal-and-glass vessel gently arose from the ship's floor interior. Ioki was asleep on the light cloth, her beautiful skin radiating with a purity Tenchi had never seen.  
  
Although he admired her, and loved to stay and watch, he had to save her from drowning. The glass opened, and Tenchi picked her up.  
  
He hadn't noticed how holding her nude body made him feel before; he was in too much of a rush. But now, he could see her curves, her perfect proportions, her perfectly round nipples. He could see her face, the beauty of her smooth, blemish-free skin, the soft, dainty feel of her structure. He looked at her the way an artist would; an artist and a lover. Not to mention, seeing her features made a hard spot in his trousers.  
  
But, he had no time to lose. He ran for the door, the hatches opening just as he came through, until the last chamber.  
  
"Alright, Ryo-ohki. Let me out."  
  
The hatch opened, and Tenchi experienced the same overwhelming wave of water. But this time, he controlled himself. He swam with power, swam with grace and a delicacy as so not to disturb Ioki, up and out of the water. He raised Ioki out of the water, and set her gently down on the misty grass. He arose a hand, sunk his fingers into the soil of the earth, and clawed his way on to dry land.  
  
His waist half out of the water, Tenchi took a few deep breaths.  
  
"Ryo-ohki...... are you okay?"  
  
Ryo-ohki was pulling herself up onto the muddy side of the pond they landed in.  
  
"Miya."  
  
Tenchi smiled. As he gained back his senses, he could smell a familiar musty smell of the wet dirt. He looked up in awe.  
  
"Home!"  
  
Of all places, Tenchi had the luck to land himself in the pond directly in the back of his house. He stood up, bruised and a bit cut up, and lifted Ioki into his arms. He ran straight for home, an unconscious Ioki bobbing up and down.  
  
"I'm coming home!"  
  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
  
Tenchi walked in to a dimly-lit room, dried up with a few bandages and new clothing.  
  
"H...hello?"  
  
He tip-toed in, softly closing the door behind himself. He softly walked over to the young girl, sleeping in her bed.  
  
"Ioki?"  
  
There was a slight rustling of blankets.  
  
"Hnnnnun hnmunmmmm...."  
  
Tenchi came closer and rested his hand on the pile of moving blankets.  
  
"What?"  
  
The figure turned around and opened her shining blue eyes. A weary voice escaped her lips.  
  
"Hello, Tenchi."  
  
Tenchi smiled as warmly as humanly possible. A tear escaped his eye as he lunged forward to embrace Ioki.  
  
"I missed you."  
  
Ioki daintily hugged him around the neck.  
  
"I missed you too."  
  
Tenchi could not believe that it was actually true. Ioki was real, her body in his arms, her warm cheek pressed up agaist his. They loosened the embrace and stared into each others eyes, just like they had done so many years ago. Ioki put her right hand up against his hard, battle-scarred chest.  
  
"I love you."  
  
Tenchi felt a surge of ecstacy. He could barely contain himself any longer.  
  
"I love you too..."  
  
Their lips interlocked in a kiss, the first real kiss Tenchi had had in years. Ioki grazed her tongue along the back of his teeth, while weaving her tongue around and with his. They connected with each other through the mouth, staying together, their lips and tongues interlocked with the other's.  
  
Tenchi could not take it any longer. He lowered his hand, feeling across her collarbone and down to her breast. She was still nude, so it was easy for Tenchi to get to her. He took both hands and massaged her breasts, pushing them up and down and around, feeling her nipples harden in his fingers.  
  
She pulled him down onto her bed, the dim, golden hue of the candle light cascading over the two lovers. With Tenchi massaging Ioki's chest, and both of them getting turned on, Ioki started to lift off Tenchi's shirt. Tenchi lifted his arms to let her slip it off for him, their lips parting. Ioki then took his hands and guided them back to her breasts, gasping every so often when he hit a good spot. It was too unsatisfying for Tenchi; he wanted more. As Ioki felt her hands around his chest (that had muscled up a bit because of his journeys), Tenchi unbuttoned his jeans and pulled them off.  
  
With the only article of clothing in the event, Tenchi's white boxer shorts, Ioki could feel his manhood stiffen through the thin fabric. Tenchi came close to her face and licked her lips, and bit her bottom lip gently. He pulled down the covers to reveal her (surprisingly cleanly shaved) womanhood. Ioki reached her hand out and seductively massaged his penis, as Tenchi sat back and enjoyed the pleasure. Tenchi leaned forward and Ioki reached into his boxer shorts, her hand softly caressing his lower quarters. Tenchi saw no need for this undergarment, so he quickly removed it to keep it from getting in the way.  
  
They rolled over now, with Ioki being on top of him, and she turned around until they slipped into a 69. Tenchi tongued his lover's quarters, as Ioki sucked on his manhood. Both enjoyed this moment of extreme pleasure, as clear-white liquid oozed from Ioki's womanhood. Tenchi licked her clean, as Ioki's sexual activity turned his penis a reddish-pink color. To make sure their love-making lasted longer, Tenchi pulled her to him, probing deeper in with his tongue. Ioki felt her hands all over his forehead, lust and orgasms surging throughout her body. She came again, Tenchi licking up every last drop.  
  
Ioki slipped down and was quickly moving her lower end in circles, gyrating her torso between Tenchi's belly button and penis, her vagina coming teasingly close. He sat up and sucked her nipples, tasting the creamy milk that came out of them. Beads of sweat dropped off of each of their faces. Tenchi's manhood stuck out, rock-hard and pink, with semin forming at the tip. Ioki's vagina was pink and tender, as she lead her lower torso to his penis and guided him into her.  
  
It was a sensation Tenchi could barely hold back.  
  
"Aaaaahhhhh....."  
  
"Oooohhhh...."  
  
Tenchi was nearing his climax, amout to cum as he felt her vagina enclosing his penis. He shook his torso slowly, sliding it more in, more out, but never letting it out all the way. He felt it coming close....  
  
"Mmmmmmmm!"  
  
Another moan from Ioki, Tenchi could not hold back any longer. In an explosion of clear-white liquid, Tenchi came, his juices spurting all over Ioki's vagina, and in her uterus. Both of them were at their climax, intense orgasmic pleasure surging through them. Ioki clawed at his nicely-muscled abdomen, Tenchi's muscles clenching every few moments. The spray never seemed to stop, both of them at their peak, breathing, sighing, heaving hard breaths and screaming moans of pleasure. Ioki gyrated her hips, harder, faster, recieving every blow that Tenchi's penis gave her. She slid it, in and out, all around, moved her lower torso in small circles. The cum slowed down, and Ioki released his penis from her grasp. She laid on top of him. both of them covered in wet, sticky cum, Tenchi's penis starting to return back to normal.  
  
"Wow," Ioki exclaimed, "That was quite fun."  
  
She rested her head on his chest and dozed off. Tenchi pulled the covers up and over both of them, Ioki pressing her breasts up against his warm chest.  
  
"Goodnight, Ioki."  
  
Tenchi closed his eyes and drifted off to sleep.  
  
Another dream.  
  
Tenchi had a recollection of what had just happened, him and Ioki, in Ioki's bedchamber.  
  
"Oh, Tenchi!"  
  
"Oh, Ioki!"  
  
Even in his dreams, Tenchi felt the lust. Ioki moaned as he probed his tongue into her, a process he rather enjoyed practicing, her practically humping his face.  
  
Next, he felt her exploring hand, her gyrating torso, felt the intercourse..... just the way it had happened. It was something Tenchi liked feeling again, but just as he was about to climax, he saw a different face on Ioki.  
  
"Ryoko?!"  
  
There was Ryoko, with Tenchi's penis stuck in her.  
  
"Oh, yes, oh, oh, OH, TENCHI!"  
  
Tenchi still felt the orgasm, felt his climax, felt his cumshot. But he could not understand why his brain kept doing this to him; why was he having sex with Ryoko?  
  
Awake.  
  
Tenchi lifted the covers a bit to see a newly-formed wet spot by his penis.  
  
"I guess that dream was a bit too intense..."  
  
Tenchi hugged Ioki closer to him and rested his head on her shoulder, again drifting off to sleep.  
  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
  
Tenchi opened his eyes.  
  
"Good morning, honey."  
  
Tenchi planted a soft kiss on her warm cheek.  
  
"Mmhhmmnummnmm..... Five more minutes........"  
  
Tenchi wrapped his arms around her and brought his legs up to hers, his body outlining the whole back side of her body.  
  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
  
"Come on, Ioki."  
  
Ioki opened her eyes a crack and glanced backward over to Tenchi.  
  
"Hmmmmhmmhmmummm.... Good morning, Tenchi."  
  
They shared a short kiss on the lips. Tenchi sat up in the bed, Ioki sitting up with him. He held her around the shoulders as her naked body sat on the lap of his naked body. Ioki felt his penis harden again, right under her vagina. She playfully swayed her hips a bit, as Tenchi got harder and pinker. He grabbed her shoulders and lay her down on the bed, bringing his lips to her ear.  
  
"I want you."  
  
Ioki pushed him back.  
  
"Now, now, Tenchi, we must meet the family for breakfast."  
  
She took a finger and tapped him lightly on the nose. They stood up, as Ioki grabbed a towel.  
  
"We both need to take a shower."  
  
"Can we take one at the same time for double efficiency?"  
  
"Then we may take too long, and leave the family suspicious," She replied with a wink.  
  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
  
Ioki stepped on the icy, white tile.  
  
She touched the tip of her toe to the bitter cold, shivers circulating up and down her spine. Her long, straight hair stuck to her back, molding itself onto her skin with the moisture. She scooped it in her hands and rung it out, afterwards wrapping it in a dry, white towel.  
  
The rest of her body was still wet, so she kept the turban of towel and hair atop her head as she encircled her torso with a larger towel.  
  
She opened the door and stepped out, the warm mist of the bathroom flowing out as cold, crisp air moved into its place. A few more shivers circulated through her body as she stepped out.  
  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
  
Tenchi had already showered and dressed, sitting at the breakfast table.  
  
Kiyone glanced around the room.  
  
"Tenchi?"  
  
"Yes, Kiyone?"  
  
"I know I'm not the one to talk much, but I've noticed something different..."  
  
Sasami and Mihoshi quickly exchanged glances. After a few silent moments, Sasami finally spoke up.  
  
"Yeah, it's been quiet lately..."  
  
Ayeka twisted her chopsticks around in her noodles, making intricate designs and curling them on the sticks. She was obviously bored.  
  
Sasami slumped in her chair, staring at her soup.  
  
Mihoshi looked down at the table, and then looked up to see a look of dismay on everyone's face. In a sudden spark of anger, she stood up and slammed her fists on the table, knocking over a bowl of soup and startling the others.  
  
"Don't you see?"  
  
Everyone at the table stared at her, with wide open eyes and a hidden feeling of guilt.  
  
"You act like nothing has happened! Don't you notice how quiet it has gotten?"  
  
Washu frowned and exchanged glances with Ayeka.  
  
"Do you know why it has gotten so quiet?"  
  
Sasami turned her red eyes upward at Mihoshi.  
  
"...Yeah, we all know..."  
  
"Ryoko's gone!"  
  
Ayeka turned to Sasami and Mihoshi. After staying silent most of the conversation, she told them what she had to say.  
  
"I never thought I would say this, but life is worse without her."  
  
The rest forgot about Mihoshi and turned their attention to Ayeka.  
  
".............."  
  
"This household is so much more dull..."  
  
Tenchi stood.  
  
"Everyone, I have soemthing to tell you."  
  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
  
Ioki stepped out into the kitchen, fully dressed. To her shock, Sasami was in tears.  
  
"What happened?"  
  
The room silenced. With the story being told to the whole family, everyone came to realize who Ioki really was. Sasami ran to Ioki and frantically wrapped her arms around Ioki's stomach.  
  
"Oh, Ryoko...I mean Ioki... we missed you so much!"  
  
Ioki smiled warmly as she pat Sasami on the back.  
  
"I missed you too."  
  
((Well, what did you think? I want to thank all of you who have sticked with the story thorugh thick and thin, read all its chapters and anxiously awaited the next ones. Credit goes to William Thundergod Nichols, the one who inspired me to write drama, and my sister Natalie, who has encouraged me every step of the way! Don't forget to look for my new story! Formulating is already in progress! Can't wait to see you there! ;-) ::kisses::)) 


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